UNC sophomore right-hander Austin Bergner did just about everything you could possibly want from a starting pitcher on Tuesday afternoon in the Tar Heels’ College World Series game against Mississippi State–with the exception of one pitch in the top of the second inning.

With the bases loaded, freshman Jordan Westburg took Bergner deep for a grand slam that gave the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish on the way to an 12-2 victory over the Tar Heels that puts UNC one loss away from elimination.

It was the first of three hits on the day for Westburg, who also tied a College World Series record with seven RBIs.

Following the game-changing home run, however, Bergner retired the next 16 Mississippi State hitters he faced–while also finishing the game with eight strikeouts over seven innings.

The Tar Heels struck first blood in the home half of the first inning when Cody Roberts brought home Kyle Datres on a sacrifice fly, but Westburg’s huge grand slam flipped the momentum completely in the next half inning.

With Bergner doing everything he could to keep UNC in the game from that point on, the offense simply wasn’t able to do its part to come back.

Runners were continually stranded on base, and it took a wild pitch from Mississippi State in the seventh inning for the Tar Heels to finally manufacture a second run.

Westburg struck again, though, in the top of the eighth inning–just as the wheels finally started to fall off for good for UNC.

The designated hitter, who hits ninth in the Bulldogs’ lineup, drove in three more runs with a bases-clearing double to cap off a monstrous eight-run inning for Mississippi State.

That hit was the final nail in the coffin for UNC, as any chances of a late rally were essentially stomped out.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will have a rematch of their College World Series opener against Oregon State on Wednesday, with the loser set to be eliminated from the tournament–while the winner will have to defeat Mississippi State two consecutive times to reach the championship series.

First pitch for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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